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Thursday, March 22, 2012

Goat Cheese Stuffed Figs with a Lemon Basil White Wine Sauce

Recently, my husband's uncle passed away after several years of being ill. All of our immediate family attended the wake, then decided to stay overnight since it was almost a 2 hour drive home. We looked online and found a restaurant in the area (we were in Forked River, NJ) called Il Giordano Sul Mare and since it wasn't far from the funeral home, we decided to try out this sit down restaurant. It was impeccable and had wonderful items on the menu. Some, unique and some classic Italian favorites. That night, they were offering a special appetizer for Stuffed Figs. I can't remember exactly what they put in theirs, but they were incredible! I had never eaten a fig that way before, so my phone came out and in it went into my Notes section so I could create something similar on my own. Since I was hosting St. Patrick's Day dinner this past Saturday, I figured I'd try to make these stuffed figs as an appetizer. It was a little bit of a challenge finding them, and after several stores had some luck finding them in the aisle where they kept the raisins. Anyway, I thought the combination of goat cheese would go well with the figs and a nice lemon basil sauce would offset the sharpness. This appetizer was SO easy to make and tasted FANTASTIC! A definite keeper...it even got a "Good" from my father in-law, which means I can make it again. You just never want an "OK", which means "I'll eat it, but don't make it again". :)

Goat Cheese Stuffed Figs with a Lemon Basil White Wine Sauce14 Dried Figs1/2 c. Crumbled Goat CheeseLemon Basil White Wine Sauce2 tbsp. Butter1 tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped1 tsp. Lemon Zest1 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour1/4 c. White Wine, I used Pinot Grigio1/4 c. Low-Sodium Chicken Broth (you can also substitute chicken or vegetable stock)1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black PepperCut the top off of the fig and scoop out the inside seeds/pulp and place on a baking dish, then stuff each fig with the goat cheese. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the basil and lemon zest. Stir for about 1 minute, then add the flour to form a roux. Next, whisk in the wine, chicken broth, salt and pepper and it has a smooth consistency. Pour over the figs and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Transfer figs to a serving platter and spoon sauce over the top. Makes 14 figs.Points+=2pts per fig Enjoy!

beautiful! I love figs. There's a recipe I make for Christmas Eve called "Figgy Piggies" and they're stuffed with manchego, wrapped with bacon and drizzled with a cab reduction. Can't wait to try yours too! Maybe this year I'll make both versions ;)